Door stop for automobile doors



16. MXSCEUANEOUS HARDWARE March 23, 1937. H. D. GEYER I DOOR STOP FORAUTOMOBILE DOORS Filed Aug. 3, 19

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Patented Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES QUQl bu uuun PATENT OFFICE DOORSTOP FOR AUTOMOBILE DOORS Harvey D. Geyer, Dayton, Ohio, assignor toGeneral Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of DelawareThis invention relates to door stops, especially for automobile bodydoors.

An object of this invention is to provide a resilient door stop which isbut slightly flexible in a vertical direction so as to permit only apossibly desired slight vertical movement of the closed door, but whichhas a substantial flexibility in a horizontal direction so as to yieldmaterially when the door is pressed thereagainst in closing.

Another object is to provide such a resilient door stop which yields ina fore and aft direction without sliding of surfaces upon each other andhence without squeaking or wear.

Another object is to provide such a door stop having an insulatingresilient non-metallic cushion between the metallic keeper recess andthe door jamb, which properly sustains the closed door against excessivevertical movement but nevertheless yields in other directions by adistortion of the resilient cushion without sliding of adjacent surfacesupon each other, whereby to eliminate squeaking noises at the junctionof the closed door and door jamb fixed to the body.

An important feature of the invention is the simplicity and economy ofmanufacture of the assembly of parts whichprovides the above objects.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a face view of the dovetail keeper' which is fixed to thevertical door jamb. The metal cover plate is shown broken away on theleft side of the figure to better show the interior structure.

40 Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing the tapered male wedge plate onthe door about to enter the tapered female keeper on the door jamb. Thesection through the keeper is taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a face view of the tapered male wedge plate.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are views of the metal keeper recess member, Fig. 6being a face view, Fig. '7 a side elevation, and Fig. 8 an end view fromthe direction of arrow 8 of Fig. 6.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The keeper assembly as shown comprises an open top and open frontpressed metal housing I!) having two apertured attachment ears llthereon, a pressed metal keeper recess member l2 resiliently retainedwithin housing I0 by two portions l3 of soft rubber, and two pairs ofhollow metal rollers l4 individually embedded in the rubber I 3 andlocated between member l2 and the .ends of housing I0 as best shown inFig. 1. The metal parts l0, l2 and M are bonded by vulcanization in situto the rubber portions I3 by properly locating these metal parts in thevulcanizing mold as inserts. Thus keeper member l2 and metal rollers l4are very securely but resiliently retained in place within housing H! ina highly simple and eflicient manner.

Preferably rollers l4 are spaced slightly from both the end Wall is ofhousing In and the metal flange l5 of keeper I2, so that there will besmall intervening layers I! of rubber l3, as best shown in Fig. 2. Metalrollers l4 are thus completely isolated by soft rubber from other metalparts and are thus permitted to roll or turn upon their axes by internaldistortion of rubber l3. Their function is to substantially limit theendwise resilient movement of keeper member l2 within housing H) and yetat the same time to permit relatively free in and out resilient movementof rubber while the four metal rollers I4 have a sort of rolling motionwithin the rubber even though they are entirely surrounded by the softrubber. However rollers I4 materially limit the relative movement ofkeeper l2 to the right or left in Fig. 1 since these rollers thenfunction as non-compressible reinforcements in the otherwise resilientend cushions l3. This latter restricted movement is the verticalresilient movement of keeper l2 when assembled upon the door jamb 20, asshown in Fig. 3, and obviously may be made as small as desired byreducingthe thickness of the rubber layers IT. The above describedrelatively free in and out movement of keeper i2 is caused by the wedgeplate 2| fixed to the door 22 entering the tapered recess I2 in keeperl2 when the door is forced to closed position, and will be hereinaftertermed the closing move- -ment of keeper I 2.

In order to render this closing movement of keeper I! more free andeasy, a clearance space 25 is provided between housing Ill and the partsl2, l3' and I4 which move relatively thereto (see Fig. 2). Obviouslythis clearance space 25 also prevents noise or rattling by preventingcontact between housing I and keeper I2 and rollers It at all times. Aclearance space 26 between the rear wall 9 of housing I0 and the movableparts l2, I3 and I4 is made sufficiently large that these movable partswill not contact this rear wall 9 during any closing movement of keeperI2. These clearance spaces 25 and 26 are provided by suitable cores whenthe parts l0,- l2, I3 and M are assembled by being vulcanized in situ ina mold as described above. This keeper assembly is fixed to the doorjamb 20 by two large end screws 21 extending through the ears H. A metalcover plate 30 encloses housing l0 and is fixed thereabove by screws 21and may have a small front flange 29 fixed to the door jamb by two smallscrews 28. This cover plate 30 is cut away, as at 3|, to permit the doorwedge plate 2| to enter the tapered recess I2 of keeper l2 and to clearsame at all times.

In operation, when door 22 is forced or banged closed the wedge plate 2|first enters and abuts the tapered recess 12 in keeper l2, andthereafter the shock of closing the door is absorbed by the resilientclosing movement of keeper I2 as described in detail above. The door isheld closed by the usual latch or lock against the tendency of keeper l2to spring outwardly again. When in closed position the swinging edge ofthe door is resiliently sustained against up or down movement by therestricted vertical movement of keeper l2 as described above. Allrattling or squeaking door noises ordinarily occurring in automobiledoors are prevented by the elimination of all sliding or other contactbetween relatively moving parts in the keeper assembly.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A door stop for automobile doors comprising a keeper assembly fixedto the door jamb for receiving a projection fixed to the door, saidkeeper assembly comprising: a fixed base, and a metal keeper resilientlysupported upon said base by resilient rubber and having a relativelyrestricted vertical movement which is opposed by a direct said basewhich is opposed by shear in said supporting rubber.

2. A door stop for automobile doors comprising a keeper assembly fixedto the door jamb for receiving a lateral projection fixed to the door,said keeper assembly comprising: a fixed housing, and a rigid keeperresiliently supported within said housing by soft rubber vulcanized insitu to both said keeper and housing in such manner that thedoor-closing movement of said keeper is resisted by shear in saidsupporting soft rubber, said rubber having clearance at the back thereofto prevent direct compression of said rubber by the door-closingmovement.

3. A door stop for automobile doors comprising a keeper assembly fixedto the door jamb for receiving a projection fixed to the door, saidkeeper assembly comprising: a fixed housing, and a rigid keeperresiliently supported within said housing by soft rubber vulcanized insitu to both said keeper and housing, and an insert in said soft rubberwhich restricts vertical movement but permits relatively freedoor-closing movement of said keeper.

4. A door stop for automobile doors comprising a keeper assembly fixedto the door jamb for receiving a projection fixed to the door, saidkeeper assembly comprising: a fixed housing, and a rigid keeper locatedwithin'but isolated from said housing by resilient rubber, and an insertin said rubber which restricts vertical movement but permits relativelyfree door-closing movement of said keeper.

5. A door stop bumper assembly for automobile doors, comprising: ahousing adapted to be fixed to the door jamb, and a keeper memberresiliently supported by said housing by a connection of soft rubber,said keeper member having a relatively restricted vertical movement anda relatively free door-closing movement relative to said housing, saidsoft rubber being so arranged that it resists door-closing movement onlyby shear in the rubber but resists vertical movement of said keeper by adirect compression on the rubber.

HARVEY D. GEYER.

